The White House has run a very public campaign for the nomination of the next chairman of the Federal Reserve. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been open about how swiftly he would like to see a name chosen and shared with the public, while President Trump has been transparent about the individuals in contention.
One motivation for the candor is a bid to shift focus away from current chairman Jerome Powell, who has grated on the Oval Office by refusing to cut rates as fast as Trump might have liked.
With this in mind, Bessent in particular has lobbied to announce the Fed nomination sooner rather than later, even saying the announcement could be made before Christmas. With 10 days to go, that now seems unlikely, and the president has indicated the decision will instead be made in early 2026.
Even over the weekend, The Wall Street Journal reported Trump is eyeing two candidates in particular—Kevin Hassett and Kevin Warsh—for the job. Here’s what you need to know about the top contenders, and what their on-record opinions have been about the running of the Fed.
